Lloyds backs scheme to help people brush up on digital skills

Banking group Lloyds is backing an initiative to help improve the digital skills of thousands of people.

The bank is supporting 100 community centres across the UK, including ten in Scotland, by partnering them staff from a local branch who will provide face-to-face training.

The online centres are run by the Good Things Foundation, a charity that aims to help people overcome social challenges and support the development of basic digital skills.

The charity has worked with Lloyds for several years to help develop the bank’s Digital Champion network and volunteering opportunities in local communities.

Philip Grant, Lloyds’ ambas- sador for Scotland said: “Being able to support local communities in Scotland with essential digital skills is critical to drive social mobility.

“I’m delighted that we are growing our partnership with Good Things Foundation to support the online centres, which will make a huge difference to people by allowing them to develop their digital skills, in their local area, in a way which best suits their needs.”

As part of Lloyds’ Helping Britain Prosper plan, it has committed to provide digital training for 2.5 million people and organisations by 2020.

The Scottish online centres are in Castle Douglas, Cowdenbeath, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Inverness (two), Kirkwall, Melrose, Motherwell and Stranraer. 0 ‘Digital skills critical to social mobility’ says Philip Grant